Aston Villa: Gerrard wants 'a step up' on 'unstoppable' £50m star

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is looking for someone a “step up” from Newcastle United star Allan Saint-Maximin, believes transfer insider Dean Jones.

Saint-Maximin has been linked with a move to Villa Park, but Jones thinks Gerrard will be aiming higher than the 25-year-old.

According to the Mail on Sunday, Newcastle are ready to sell Saint-Maximin for around £50m this summer.

The Frenchman continues to be one of the Magpies’ star performers, with only Kieran Trippier recording a higher WhoScored rating than him, but it appears that Eddie Howe could be willing to let him go.

The same report states that Villa are just one club monitoring his situation at St James’ Park ahead of a transfer window where the Midlands outfit are likely to be busy.

Gerrard recently warned his current crop of players that they were fighting for their futures at Villa Park, suggesting that they could be replaced by new arrivals in the off season.

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Jones does not think Saint-Maximin is a Gerrard player and expects the Villa boss to actually aim higher than the Newcastle star when the transfer window opens.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the football journalist said: “I’d be surprised. I mean, I don’t really see him as a Steven Gerrard player. I think that he’s probably looking for someone a step up from that.”

There is no denying that Saint-Maximin is a talented player. Right now, there probably is not a better dribbler in the Premier League.

“He makes the game look so easy,” Newcastle striker Callum Wilson said when talking about his team-mate last season. “Unstoppable, unplayable,” the 30-year-old went on to add.

Still, you could not blame Gerrard